


flickering flame

by chosuiri



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, also siegfried is mentioned Very much but doesn't talk directly in the fic, cats. many cats, getting together........and breaking up :pensive: but then........getting back together?, lancelot and vane friendship! lots!, siegfried never talks but he's there???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 08:53:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24847117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chosuiri/pseuds/chosuiri
Summary: Percival's a real nobleman-- someone who came from a completely different world from him. Yet, the two grow closer than ever during the service to Feendrache in the Order of Black Dragons.Their love fosters a small flame, it may flicker and falter, but continues to burn steadily in both of their hearts.---Or, a story about Lancelot and Percival's relationship while they were both part of the Order of Black Dragons, to their fallout, and to where they are now.
Relationships: Lancelot/Percival (Granblue Fantasy)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	flickering flame

**Author's Note:**

> would like for lanpercy to at least pay rent if they're going to occupy my brain. sorry that it's 7k.. i have a disease
> 
> details are fuzzy on what exactly happened to the two of them (or maybe it's been spelled out but i simply didn't read it) if that's the case then... haha... oops.... either way! this got longer than i wanted which is a real L for me but please enjoy nonetheless!

One day, their captain Siegfried introduced a new knight to the ranks. He’s different from the other recruits, proud, self-assured, and seemingly flawless in whatever he does. Once Lancelot learned that he was from the House of Wales, everything became clear. A real nobleman-- someone who was born in a completely different world from him. Lancelot opts for observing Percival for the majority of the first day from a distance, seeing for most of the time he only communicated with the other knights when he was giving criticism or relaying orders from Siegfried. Really, the only one he spoke to on his own volition of Siegfried, but even then, he was quite stiff and no-nonsense with him.

When dinner time came, Lancelot happily grabs a tray with today’s special of a vegetable stew with bread and cured pork. He typically sticks to sitting with Vane, but when he notices Percival eating alone in the mess hall, Lancelot has half the mind to slide in the seat across from him instead. He turns around for a second to look at the table where he usually eats with Vane and some of their other fellow knights in their squad, finding Vane who looks a little bewildered in the midst, and sends him a smile. Vane notices him and nods back reassuringly.

He finally turns back to face Percival, who doesn’t seem all too amused. He’s a bit scary, Lancelot thinks at first, but grins and greets him like normal, “sorry, you don’t mind me sitting here?”

“What?” Percival raises an eyebrow as he pokes at his food, a sort of wariness around him as he glares at Lancelot, “Of course I mind. I’m not here to make friends.”

That makes the raven-haired knight burst out into laughter, “Oh, really?” He stays there nonetheless, making no effort to move. Instead, he picks up his spoon and ladles a spoonful right into his mouth. “There’s no one else sitting here, so… Captain Siegfried is pretty strict, but he’s a caring man. He’d probably be concerned if you weren’t being friendly with anyone else.” He pauses after saying his piece, realizing that he could’ve said too much. Percival’s stare bores right into him, and Lancelot wonders if he’s filled with contempt right now. He laughs awkwardly, trying to clear the air, “Umm… I mean--”

“No, you have a point,” Percival says, although his words are less abrasive than how his voice sounded. Lancelot notices something else to it as well, like how this seemingly perfect guy has his own times where he’s hesitating and carefully selecting his words. Lancelot has mistakenly assumed that Percival did everything effortlessly. “There’s stuff I still need to learn, which is why I decided to join the knights in the first place. Being charismatic is being part of being a leader, right. So you’re saying it should apply off the battlefield too.”

“Yeah, that’s it!” Lancelot chirps back with a smile, “My name is Lancelot. I joined the knights recently, too.”

“Looks like you eat whatever slop they give you,” Percival mumbles begrudgingly as his eyes wander from staring at Lancelot to how quickly he’s consumed his food. Compared to that, Percival’s tray is left relatively untouched. “This tastes good to you?”

“Hmm… it doesn’t taste bad?” Lancelot blinks, “I guess since you’re a prince, this stuff is nothing compared to what you have back in Wales.”

“That’s right,” Percival sneers as he sighs and shoves the piece of bread in his mouth at the very least. “But what did I expect, huh?”

“Well, maybe you’d think it’d be better since most of the knights come from good families,” Lancelot shrugs, “but you’ll just have to get used to it, Sir Percival.”

The other knight scoffs, but continues to reluctantly eat the food before him. Lancelot learns that he’s prideful about his family, although he doesn’t quite discuss much more about his family or life back in Wales besides the traditions that he had decided to revive on his enlisting into Feendrache’s order.

Well, that’s what Lancelot gathers, anyway, from the words they exchange. Percival is less than enthusiastic, but answers every question Lancelot asks him truthfully.

“You’re nicer than I thought,” Lancelot remarks off-handedly with a bright smile, “do you want to eat with us tomorrow too?”

“I’m not interested!” Percival returns in all his fluster, cheeks red from being worked up all from  _ something _ that Lancelot doesn’t quite understand. “You’re not the worst company, so…”

Lancelot laughs, nodding his head as he picks up his tray. “That works too. I’ll see you tomorrow at morning drills then, Percival!” Feeling a bit warm in the face himself, Lancelot stands up from his seat and walks off to discard his tray before letting the redhead get another word in.

* * *

It’s been a few months since Percival’s arrival, and already, the two of them have been promoted to captains of their own unit of knights. Lancelot’s interactions with Percival decreased due to that, but whenever he could, he attempted to talk to him.

Percival’s unit, actually, had been away on a quick mission for the last week, and finally hearing that they’d be arriving back, Lancelot bolts from his room in the morning to welcome back him and his men.

The redhead looks flustered when Lancelot first approaches him, and coughs. “What do you want?”

Lancelot smiles, and scratches the back of his neck nervously. “That is… well, I just wanted to welcome you back. We haven’t talked in a while.”

“Hmph,” Percival grunts as he shrugs his shoulders. He looks back at his men shuffling through the barracks to get settled back, letting them go wherever. “If you have time to do that, then get me a pen and paper. I need to write up my report.”

“You act like I have the time to do your bidding,” Lancelot teases lightly, but glances around the meeting room of the unit captains’ office, rummaging through the contents of Percival’s desk to retrieve the proper writing materials. “Well, you’re lucky I don't have anything to do until after lunchtime.”

Percival raises an eyebrow, “don’t mess up my desk.”

“You should’ve done it yourself, then,” Lancelot shrugs, taking a seat across from Percival as he sets the papers on the meeting table. The redhead squints at him and seems to grumble about something, but slides the paper and pen closer to himself.

Lancelot stifles another laugh, and leans his face against his hand and watches Percival curiously, opening his mouth to speak again. “How was the mission?”

“Same old. Burned some monsters that were bothering the villagers to a crisp,” Percival sighs, “just the usual monster extermination. It just took a little longer than usual since they were quite persistent. I was able to take out the boss of the area. I learned a little about the village chief’s leadership too, so I suppose it served well for me.”

“Right, since you wanted to become a king yourself…” Lancelot nods, “what kind of king are you seeking to be like? Like King Josef?”

Percival pauses, looking up from his writing. “I still don’t know, actually. It seems like figuring out yourself isn’t so simple after all.” He bites onto his lip as he seems to ponder on the subject, face tensing.

“It’s not,” Lancelot agrees, “but, I think you can do whatever you put your mind to, Sir Percival. You’re that kind of person. We still got plenty of our life to figure it out, right?”

Percival’s expression visibly relaxes, and a ghost of a smile stretches across his face. “I guess so.”

Lancelot freezes when he sees the rare smile, and realizes that he’s been holding his breath for longer than he thought. He can’t deny that his heart is beating a little faster than usual, and there’s some surprise apparent on his face.

The redhead seems to take note of this, and his cheeks become completely red for a second before immediately averting his gaze, “What?”

“You have a nice smile, Sir Percival,” Lancelot says quickly, feeling some satisfaction of his own when he notices that Percival’s fluster hasn’t relented at all. He chuckles, thinking to himself that Percival is a much cuter person than he seems. 

The other huffs in response, “just leave already! You’re distracting me!” 

“I’m distracting you, huh?” Lancelot smiles cheekily, eyes glinting as he watches over Percival trying to get over his embarrassment. He then checks the time, realizing that he probably overstayed his welcome, and then dips his head. “Well, let me not be a hindrance to your work, Sir Percival. Make sure to get some rest later, okay?”

“Fine, fine,” Percival groans, coughing as he tries to recover. He makes a swatting away gesture with his hand, eliciting another bout of laughter from the raven knight. “Later, Sir Lancelot.”

“Mm, see you later, Sir Percival!” Lancelot chirps happily in response, standing up from his seat and turning to leave.

He swears he hears something of a chuckle as he leaves, but notices it get quickly muffled. It’s amusing of Percival to stifle his laughter… looks like he wanted to keep hiding any instance of him having fun.

Lancelot resolves to pick a fight with him sometime to give him that opportunity to let himself loose.

* * *

“Uh oh, Lancey! I have to go clean!” Vane gasps as he stirs up from his seat in the dining hall. “See you at afternoon drills?”

Lancelot messily wipes his mouth off with the back of his hand and nods. “All right, good luck, Vane! A flicker of sheepishness shows up on his face as he thinks about how some of that cleaning work involves cleaning their dorm, and judging by the amount of laundry Lancelot hasn’t found the time to do yet… Other than that, Lancelot hasn’t been assigned any duties for the morning after running drills thirty minutes ago. It’s a bit a shame since he’d usually be doing some paperwork based off of their last mission, but he managed to finish all of that before passing out. All that’s left is to deliver.

Lancelot resolves to take the scenic route  _ and _ a stroll in the process. He follows after Vane as he hurriedly puts away his dishes, waving to him again as Vane goes off to do his own duties as a lower ranked knight. Vane shouts him a word or two of encouragement back first, and then leaves Lancelot by himself in the bustle of the dining room. Most of the other knights are moving off to their own duties, causing Lancelot to decide to depart immediately. He squeezes through the crowd nimbly, and steps out into the fresh air. It’s a nice and sunny day today, which made for optimal weather for drills. Lancelot takes the time to stretch his muscles, and soon hears a faint meowing sound. Perking up at the strange visitor, he stops what he’s doing to investigate the source of the meows. He passes the training ground as he tracks down the sound, the meows getting louder as he presumably gets closer. Another voice mixes with the meows and Lancelot recognizes the voice as a certain someone shushing the kitten.

Lancelot chuckles to himself, and picks out the flaming red hair huddling up near the bushes. He stifles his laughter, and moves as swiftly and quietly as possible, creeping up onto his fellow knight. Once he’s right behind him, he opens his mouth to greet him. “Why, Sir Percival! Funny seeing you here!”

“Eh!?” He exclaims, rustling in a panic as he shuffles to find the source of the voice. He turns his head upward, a brilliant red shade taking over his face as he makes eye contact with Lancelot. “Sir Lancelot…” He starts fumbling around cutely, attempting to shoo the kitten next to him away, and do something to regain his composure.

The raven beams brightly as he crouches next to Percival, noticing that the cat has been looking at him curiously rather than running away in a frenzy. He holds out his hand, beckoning the small animal to come toward him.

“Pspspspspspsps…” Lancelot murmurs, moving his hand around like it’s a toy. The cat seems to respond positively to it, blinking cutely at him and pads in his direction, tilting its head and curiously sniffs Lancelot’s hand. Lancelot’s smile grows wider, and he swears his heart grows almost three sizes by the kitten’s proximity.

Percival shoots a glare Lancelot’s way, clearing his throat obnoxiously. “Oi. What do you think you’re doing?”

Lancelot blinks, turning toward Percival with a sheepish grin. “I didn’t know you were keeping a cat here, Sir Percival. You should’ve told us. I’m sure Captain Siegfried wouldn’t mind.”

The redhead stays silent, huffing and gently picking up the cat and standing up. Lancelot scrambles to his feet, still beaming as he watches Percival fiddle with the small kitten. “It was supposed to be a secret. Do you know what those are, Sir Lancelot?” He snaps sarcastically, nonetheless stroking the kitten without any of that apprehensive shyness from before. Percival stops petting the cat, and then starts to wave around a toy for the feline. It plays with the toy, its tiny paws extending and attempting to catch it in its claws.

Lancelot giggles at the scene, glancing on fondly, and notices that his own heartbeat has started to accelerate. Lancelot begins to recognize the feeling immediately-- it’s a bit of a fluttery one, and something he has tried to avoid. Perhaps it’s a fleeting fancy. He swallows, putting a hand on his chest to tell it to settle down, and inches a bit close to Percival to pet the cat. 

“I’m aware, Percival. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” Lancelot says finally, “What is its name?”

Percival pauses, and shrugs his shoulders, “Galahad. It’s a boy cat, I’m pretty sure.” 

“What a majestic name for such a small cat,” Lancelot laughs, peering straight into the kitten’s eyes. “Galahad, huh… it’s nice to meet you.”

Percival snorts, rolling his eyes as he kneels back down to let Galahad jump gracefully out of his arms back onto the ground. Galahad meows again, curling himself against Percival’s leg and then rubs his tail against Lancelot’s. “He warmed up to you fast.”

“I’m good with animals,” Lancelot hums, watching Galahad have enough affection for today, and then he starts to run back into the bushes. “I guess he’s not quite your cat.”

“Not really,” Percival huffs, “Just something to kill the time, anyway.”

“Ah, some serotonin to ease you through these difficult trials as a knight of the Order of Black Dragons…” Lancelot returns dramatically, winking and nudging Percival in the arm. “I’d help you hide him in the dorms.”

“And get in trouble? No thanks.” The redhead snaps back, “the cat is better off not getting too close. Galahad probably doesn’t want to get too attached, anyway.” He then stirs, putting the cat toy back in his own pocket, and turns again to stare at Lancelot. “I’ll be going ahead, Sir Lancelot.”

Lancelot dumbly nods, and waves, “See you later, Sir Percival…”

As soon as Percival vanishes from sight and hearing distance, Lancelot glances over where Galahad was lounging around before, mulling over Percival’s description of the cat. It sounds like Percival’s behavior in the knights-- really, what’s made him so closed off? 

He lets out a sigh, realizing that he might’ve stalled for too long, and realizes it might be high time to prepare for drills.

* * *

When they went to suppress the rebellion in Burgundy after Lancelot and Percival’s promotion to vice captains, Vane met Percival for the first time. After Percival leaves the debriefing tent, Vane lets out a relieved sigh and turns to Lancelot, anxiously. “Whew… That red-haired guy's outright terrifying.”

Lancelot remembers the surprise on Vane’s face when Lancelot and Percival were promoted earlier that day, and the truth that he hadn’t told Vane about their fellow knight for the longest time. Maybe in his own way he wanted to keep their interactions a secret to himself?

"Haha, I know what you mean! But even though he can be hard on others, he's hardest on himself." Lancelot smiles plaintively, sensing the worried gaze of his friend. “ And besides, he comes from the House of Wales. He has all the makings of a perfect knight.” Lancelot pauses, realizing that he might’ve been saying too much. He  _ could _ say more about Percival’s cute sides to assure him more, but tries to focus back on his childhood friend.

Vane offers him a stare complete with a quivery lip and he seems to be almost teary. Also, he seems a bit suspicious of the compliments he paid to Percival. Oops. 

“I doubt anyone in the capital would disagree with him being selected as vice-captain.” He finishes, hoping to throw Vane off of more underlying feelings… that would be embarrassing!

With pursed lips, Vane hums, “Vice Captain Percival, huh…”

“Hm? What’s wrong?” Lancelot asks, uncertain if his friend had actually picked up on his feelings for the other vice captain after all. That would be tough to explain, especially since Vane just called him terrifying.

“Welll… he must be pretty great since he got selected to be Vice Captain,” Vane nods to himself, but flashes Lancelot a smile, “buuut… I think I prefer Vice Captain Lancelot myself!”

“Vane…” Lancelot breathes, a bit relieved that Vane only latched onto his insecurity in his newly-appointed position rather than his complicated feelings (or maybe crush would be the better term to describe it) about Percival. Of course, he appreciates his friend’s reassurance. The blond has always cheered him on since they were young, and that way, too, he saved him. 

Vane’s eagerness to impress Percival isn’t lost on Vane, however, and Lancelot was quick to defend his friend when Percival acted condescending toward him. Lancelot knows that it’s more of Percival’s first pretense, yet, his sharp tongue is harsher on Vane.

He underestimated his childhood friend, Lancelot is ashamed to admit, and after that battle, Vane comes out feeling more motivated than ever. 

* * *

After squashing the rebellion, Siegfried has since been slightly off. Lancelot and Percival sat in the debriefing room they shared, and at opposite ends of the coffee table, they tried to figure out a reason for his somber nature lately. 

“Did we do anything wrong in that battle? I know we’ve had a few close calls…” Percival grumbles, angrily rearranging the block markers on the strategy map on Burgundy. “We must’ve had more casualties than we thought.” His fingers work swiftly as he continues to reenact their battle on the map, slowly retracing their steps to figure out any flaws in their execution. “Of course, we got cornered there. We were outnumbered, after all… yet Captain Siegfried thought it would suffice if he charged out by himself. Why’s he so upset if it’s his own damn fault!? We only survived because that dog waved around the flag with the rest of the strength in his body!”

“I don’t think it’s because of our results in battle. We didn’t lose many men at all, thanks to Captain Siegfried.” Lancelot points out, nodding along as he watches Percival rearrange the pieces on the map. “Our strategy isn’t as strong since we have Siegfried. He’s... insanely strong.”

Percival sighs in agreement, irritably tossing the strategy marker he had to the side of the map and reclining back in his chair. “Inhumane. He’s like a beast on the battlefield… we could only accomplish as much as him when we were working together, Lancelot. I guess that’s why he’s our Captain, but… as co-Vice Captains, we need to get better.”

Lancelot nods, sparing a glance at the strategy map, “If we have more battles like this where we are heavily outnumbered, we’d have to simply improve the quality of our men. That way, even if we have to split our forces, we’ll be able to hold off bigger numbers… however, that requires us to train harder.”

“Fine, let’s see to it,” Percival exclaims, “We’ll increase the number of drills per day and focus on strengthening our troops. We should focus on handling multiple enemies at once, right?

“At least making it easier for them to handle,” Lancelot nods, “oh, but… did we have any civilian casualties last battle?”

Percival squints, and picks up the report to see what Siegfried had recorded. The writing is messy as always, and so he groans and hands it over to Lancelot. “I can’t read this.”

“Hm… ah, the nearby village had some casualties. There’s not much details, but it’s been minor enough so that we don’t need to send any men there.” Lancelot reads off neatly, and Percival shoots him a confused look. “Oh, I can read it fine... It takes messy handwriting to read it… haha…”

Percival sighs, taking the report back from Lancelot. “I guess that’s all we need to handle for now. Also...”

“What’s up, Percival?” Lancelot perks up, tilting his head to the side.

“It seems we dropped the title with each other.” Percival mumbles shyly, “I don’t mind, but…”

“No,” Lancelot beams at him, “I think it just proves that we got closer, right? Vane always slips up and calls me by my nickname, haha, but… I think when we’re alone it’s fine. Don’t you think?”

Percival freezes, bewilderment apparent on his face. When he does finally process it though, he nods and musters a small smile in return. “I suppose.”

* * *

After that, Percival and Lancelot implemented a new training regimen to make up for their shortcomings in the last battle. The knights obviously don’t take to the change immediately, but morale still remains high-- Lancelot suspects so, at least.

After afternoon drills, Percival gave them all the go ahead to be freed for the day.

Vane groans, flopping onto the couch as soon as he stepped into Lancelot’s personal quarters. As Vice Captain, he got his own amenities and room to himself. Vane comes by pretty often, and the two usually end up having tea and snacks until late in the night to where Vane would excuse himself. Lancelot sometimes wanted him to stay just like when they roomed together before when they were both trainees, but… it’s not like Lancelot had anything beside the couch. So it’s understandable that Vane preferred his own bed. 

“Vane, you tired?” Lancelot asks, settling at his desk. Upon sitting down, he lets out a yawn as he stretches his arms. “I know it’s been harder recently…”

Vane laughs, “Wahahaha! Nothing I can’t handle, Lancey. It’s a lot of work, but… I want to get stronger like you. I want to protect you, too.”

Lancelot smiles, “Vane… I know it’s not easy. You’re just as strong as I am, if not stronger!”

His childhood friend beams at him despite the obvious exhaustion on his face. He tries to wriggle himself off the couch, but sighs as he ultimately surrenders to the couch’s beguiling comfort. “A-Alright, I’m not gonna lie. Training’s tiring… yanno, Lancey, some of the other knights were complaining about it too.”

Lancelot frowns, “Is that so? I know it might be a bit harsh, but…” He trails off, something of anxiety bubbling up in his chest as he starts to doubt his new position already. Of course, he followed Percival’s lead on it, but if they’re already getting criticized…

“Oh, I told ‘em to shut up!” Vane pipes back in as soon as he notices Lancelot’s sadness, “If anything, they’re blaming Vice Captain Percival more than you. He’s… not that popular with your men, I think.”

“He’s not that bad,” Lancelot insists, “I suppose it was his idea… but I do genuinely think that this would be the best way since we can’t draft more people to join.”

Vane nods in agreement, “Right! So we just need to get them to lighten up a bit? I dunno how…”

Lancelot blinks, sitting back up in his seat and giving it some more serious thought. So, if they needed to lower the tension between the nights, and especially since Siegfried still seemed to be in a bad mood, then that just left…

Oh, it’s time to cause some mischief again. Lancelot was worried that he shouldn’t be stirring up anything as Vice Captain, but… maybe just this once. It’s necessary! Something like picking fights and being rowdy like he has when younger isn’t ideal, so maybe something else?

When an idea pops into his head, he starts to smile again. “Vane, I got it!”

“... Got what?” Vane calls from the bed, and Lancelot notices that he is once again making attempts to remove himself from the couch.

“We’ll just set up a prank at the training grounds. What do you think?” Lancelot suggests with a bright smile, “Also, Vane, don’t bother. It’s fine if you want to rest longer.”

“Okay, Lancey…” Vane grunts as he makes one last attempt, but ultimately sinks back into the couch. “I was going to get some tea going, but that’s fine! What were you thinking of? I mean... I don’t mind helping you! It’s good to get these guys to lighten up! Wahahaha!”

“Haha, just trust me on this… so we’ll do this…” Lancelot begins to explain his plan with Vane eagerly nodding along and then making his own suggestions on how to make it work properly. The two resolve to make their preparations through the night, and execute it tomorrow.

* * *

At the crack of dawn, Lancelot and Vane had set out in the paths leading outside of town to forage some catnip, an herb popular with cats and something bound to attract them. It took no time at all, especially since Lancelot had marked out a spot from previous missions. When they returned from harvesting the catnip, they procured a cauldron from the kitchen. By noon, they had everything they needed to set off their prank. The two enter the training grounds with all their ingredients in tow. While Lancelot starts a fire, Vane pours water in the cauldron. Essentially, they’d be making a type of… catnip reduction, according to Vane. Lancelot doesn’t really know what that means, but it sounds like it’ll attract some kitties in no time! 

True to Vane’s words, the sound of mewling grows louder as cats emerge from their hiding places from all over the castle, the first of which is Percival’s cat Galahad. Lancelot greets Galahad, but doesn’t have time to process the rest as more come to flood the training grounds. 

“I didn’t think this would actually work,” Lancelot breathes out of disbelief, his heart full and warm as he looks at all the cats padding around. What bliss. What a mess they’ll have to clean up later, but nothing helps their fellow knights more than kitten therapy.

“What’s the meaning of this?” A voice booms from feet away. He isn’t quite close enough to make out that Lancelot and Vane are the ones up to this, but close enough for Lancelot to notice him pinching his nose and looking… visibly upset.

Right. Percival. The two childhood friends exchange quick glances with each other and then abandon their cauldron and scramble behind one of the big trees overseeing the training grounds. They both peek out from one side respectfully, and they watch in silence as Percival approaches the cauldron.

Percival scoffs as he does, and the first thing he does is blow the flame going on beneath the pot out. He then looks over at Galahad, who looks at him innocently back. For a moment, his expression softens, but he soon starts grimacing as he inspects the pot again. “Catnip?”

Not one to care any about the heat, he goes to pick up the small cauldron to see what else was in it, but more cats start gathering by his feet, causing Percival to get flustered and lose his hold on the cauldron.

“PERCIVAL, NO!” Lancelot and Vane shriek as they watch Percival lose his footing and topple over, complete with the contents of the cauldron spilling over and getting on Percival. He’s obviously not as bothered by the temperature, but… cats start to lose all their sense because of the catnip, and greedily step all over onto Percival and start licking the sauce off of his armor. 

Percival stays silent, his expression unreadable as he stares at the cats. Finally, he turns to the source of the voices yelling his name. “You two.” He mutters behind gnashed teeth. 

“Lancey, what do we do? Vice Captain Percival is going to kill us!” Vane wails as he panickedly looks over at Lancelot, and then occasionally, he peeks at Percival glowering at them from beneath the amount of stray cats piling on him.

Lancelot sucks in a breath, and then stands up. As he resolves to approach Percival and properly apologize, Percival manages to scare off most of the cats off him by producing a flickering flame. Most of them scatter and run off, while other gutsier ones stay and circle around Percival. The redhead grumbles again, frantically trying to wipe the scent off of him, but decides to turn heel and run away instead. Lancelot doesn’t falter, and immediately breaks out into a sprint to chase after him. Seeing one of the vice captains chase the other causes a ruckus amongst the other knights, who all look bewildered as the two of them whizz by. The cats don’t make it any easier.

Vane freezes, wondering whether to either chase after the both of them or defuse the situation. With a sigh, he scratches the back of his neck and stands up, and focuses on calming the panic down among the other knights, hoping that none of them would report to Siegfried about this. Their captain had been who knows where, and he’d rather not get disciplined for this. The main problem is the cats crowding around, and some of them already went after Percival since he got it spilled all over him. He sighs, and starts doing what he can before Siegfried hears about this.

Meanwhile, Lancelot manages to finally run Percival into a corner-- both metaphorically and physically-- and they end up in the back of the barracks. Percival grumbles, his hair frazzled and a childish, but charming pout on his face as he sits on the ground. He then curls up into a ball, hugging his knees and trying to hide his face with them.

Lancelot has to stifle his laughter, and calmly approaches him, kneeling down slightly and extending a hand out to him. “Sorry, Percival. Vane and I just wanted to lighten up everyone’s spirits since they seemed to be tired from training...”

Percival stays silent for a few more seconds, but after that, he finally clears his throat and speaks gruffly. “There’s nothing wrong with a break. This tomfoolery isn’t something a Vice Captain should be doing. We’re supposed to be setting an example. This cat nonsense is just...”

Lancelot winces at being the one to get scolded, but-- well, he knows that he deserves it. It seems like his days of mischief should be placed far behind him. “I know. Sorry for forgetting my position now, Percival… no one thinks any less of you. I think they might think you a little more approachable now, you know? That’s important for a captain, too. Since they see that even you get flustered when dealing with a lot of cats then...”

“Enough of that.” Percival snorts, finally glancing up at Lancelot. His face is a deep red, fluster making itself apparent all over himself. His usual intense red gaze looks more somber and less sharper than usual, and Lancelot noticed that they’re a bit teary. Looking at him closely like this, he starts to think again about how beautiful Percival is. Also… Lancelot’s not a cat, obviously, but the scent on Percival made it… a little intoxicating. He leans in closer, his hand unconsciously moving to lower the scarf Percival wore around his armor to properly identify the scent on his neck. 

“Oi, what are you, a cat?” Percival asks quietly, narrowing his eyes as he glares at him. Percival’s voice also seems slightly dazed, and Lancelot concludes that the strong scent could render anyone a little overwhelmed.

Lancelot shakes his head, though, and tries to pull away. He finds himself missing the scent again, “You… smell good.”

“Excuse me? It’s the catnip, isn’t it--”

“No, I…” Lancelot interrupts with his skin flushed, growing shyer himself as he tries to continue. His heart starts beating faster again in his chest, and he offers his hand again like he had before. “I like you, Percival.”

“You infuriate me,” Percival mutters back, but his face doesn’t get any less red. There’s a bit of a stammer in his voice, his own set of anxiousness in it. “I didn’t… plan on making friends or getting attached to anyone. I don’t know why I got mad, I... got embarrassed. I don’t know.”

“That’s okay,” Lancelot returns calmly, “I’m still figuring everything out myself… I… just want to make things better. For the both of us. You’re an important friend to me.”

“W-We’re rivals!” Percival tries to protest, but his voice holds no real edge to it. Lancelot feels his smile grow bigger as Percival continues to stumble over his words. “Yet you never leave my head. I… we should probably stay professional, though. But I…”

“Sorry, I’m just from a poor village,” Lancelot laughs, “I’m no prince or princess or even a noble that’s suitable for you. But you are someone I can trust to have my back on the battlefield… and someone I think is both the cutest and the most admirable.”

Percival grumbles, and grabs onto Lancelot’s outstretched hand. He tugs him down with their interlocked hands, and pulls him in for a kiss.

It’s hot and fiery, everything that he’s found Percival to be. At the same time, it’s a strong and unyielding flame-- one starts to flicker in Lancelot’s heart as well. Lancelot deepens the kiss, running a hand through Percival’s hair and admiring how silky it is.

Percival groans against his lips, and soon they part. Both of them stare at each other with crimson completely dusting their faces.

“Percival…”

Percival clears his throat. “I… this can be a secret between the two of us, I guess.”

Lancelot grins cheekily, “can I kiss you again?”

His sweet prince rolls his eyes, but indulges him.

* * *

The aftermath of that resulted in all three of them getting a scolding from Siegfried, and they were forced to adjourn training prematurely for that day. After that, though, both Lancelot and Percival started dating under Siegfried’s nose and the rest of the other knights of the order.

Lancelot even kept it from his closest and dearest friend, Vane. Many times he wanted to tell it to him, but he swore to Percival that he wouldn’t tell anyone about their relationship. Honestly, he doesn’t mind. He began to look forward to their meetings with each other, but mostly for the time spent together after all their work had been done. 

Days passed as if clockwork, and it seemed all so peaceful until the day King Josef was slain, and said to be no other than their trusted knight captain, Siegfried.

Percival and Lancelot rushed to find him, both knowing that it couldn’t possibly be true. However, he seems to have fled the castle, leaving both of them in a pinch. If he ran away, then the truth is unclear. Regardless, they’d have to go with whatever the next king, King Carl, decides. 

“Damn it!” Percival shouts, slamming his sword on the ground and letting it clatter on the floor of the meeting room. He paces around anxiously, while Lancelot sat still in his chair. “Not Siegfried… if not even him holds allegiance to the king he loved, then what? King Josef was no incompetent king… so why?”

“I don’t want to believe it either, Percival.” Lancelot mumbles, his grip tightening on his swords, “Siegfried… he’s committed the ultimate sin as a knight. I’ll never forgive him.”

Percival sighs, “what will you do, Lancelot? Become the captain of Feendrache’s order? Protect it and the king like Siegfried couldn’t?”

Lancelot freezes, “why are you just saying me? Aren’t you also going to…”

“No.” Percival returns with a shrug, “I can’t stay here. I’d rather not watch this kingdom lead itself to ruin.”

“You’re… not going to do anything? You’re going to just abandon Feendrache?” Lancelot snaps, stirring up from his seat in a rage, his hands trembling, “This is the kingdom you swore to serve! This wasn’t just a game, Percival!”

“This isn’t my kingdom.” Percival retorts, bending over slightly to retrieve his sword off the ground. “Nor do I want to blindly take orders from a council in chaos. I have ideals I want to fulfill, and I’m not going to get any of that trying to rebuild a country that’s not even my own.”

“Percival…” Lancelot starts again, but shakes his head. “I… understand. You should do what you need to. It’s confusing for all of us.”

“This makes things easier, then.” The redhead begins, turning his back on Lancelot. “Then this is farewell, Lancelot. Take care of Galahad for me.”

Lancelot nods quietly, his trembling showing no signs of stopping as he watches Percival leave the meeting room.

With that, Lancelot became uncertain when he would ever see Percival again-- he wasn’t just his lover, but an important ally and friend. His abandonment of the order speaks many more words than Lancelot cared to admit. 

* * *

Years after, things have changed. Siegfried’s name has been cleared when he exposed the corruption within King Carl’s court, especially that of the witch Isabella working closely with the House of Wales. Additionally, Percival came back in his life with the crew Vane befriended before. The two never exchanged words of their past, always fixating on the present affairs between them. He sought out advice from Percival still, still stumbling on his position as a knight captain. Months pass as Lancelot and Vane implement a new recruitment system with Percival’s assistance. Soon, they confront Siegfried’s past again, and finally, they learn the reason behind Siegfried’s sorrow after the rebellion. It digs up old memories for all of them, and Lancelot finds himself thinking about the past more and more lately.

Lancelot is in the captain’s orders when he hears a knock at the door. “Come in!” He exclaims without looking up from his work, and the clank of familiar armor is telling of who it is. 

“Lancelot,” Percival scrunches his nose as he looks all over the chaotic state of the office, “You live like this? Tch, to think your messy habits even followed you into now…”

“Come on, it’s not that bad… right?” Lancelot laughs, turning around in his chair to greet his friend properly, “Hey Percival, what brings you here? Should I get something--”

“No,” Percival returns immediately, “I just came to talk. If you can spare the time right now. If not, we can talk later whenever you’re free.”

Lancelot glances at the paperwork on his desk for a second, his gaze lingering on it, but also his heart again focuses on Percival. He shakes his head, “no, now is fine.” He turns around his chair, and chuckles as he gestures Percival to sit wherever he’d like.

Percival clicks his tongue as he examines the mess of a room again, but manages to settle at Vane’s favorite spot on the couch that was slightly closer to Lancelot’s desk. “I wanted to apologize. It’s been… years, I guess. We never talked about it even after meeting again.”

Lancelot hums, tilting his head to the side slightly, “Oh… should I be honored? The Lord of Flames Percival himself wants to apologize?”

“Oi! You know what I mean!” Percival hisses, and Lancelot wagers if he was a cat, then his fur would be sticking straight up.

“I was just teasing,” Lancelot laughs, his expression softening as he starts to take their conversation more seriously. “We do need to talk about all of that, I suppose…” He gestures vaguely to signal that he knows what Percival is referring to. Their history. The stuff they never said to each other.

“I regret it, you know. It was cruel of me to leave you… and Vane, I guess, when you needed my support more than ever.” Percival begins with the obvious, which was the cause of their breakup in the first place. He sighs, “I… was scared. I know it’s not an excuse or anything, but I abandoned it before I could get hurt even more. In the process, I hurt you… and now that we know more about what was going on in Siegfried’s head, I just realize that I should’ve done more back then. Otherwise, all of us wouldn’t have to suffer like this for so long. You wouldn’t have despised Siegfried for so long for the wrong reasons…”

“It’s too late to mourn about that now,” Lancelot says truthfully, “I said I understood your reasons back then, and I’m telling you that I understand now. We were younger and more foolish back then, you know? We both grew since then.”

“Yeah,” Percival nods in agreement quietly. Lancelot notices that he seems more vulnerable again, just like he was when Lancelot first confessed to him. The same fondness for his friend bubbles up in his chest, and he wonders if it’s so wrong that it still remained even after all this time.

“Percival,” Lancelot begins, “thank you for telling me. I’ve forgiven you since then… you were the one to help us out when I got locked up by Isabella. You saved me back then… I still value you as much as I did before.”

Percival nods again, his cheeks flushing as he opens his mouth again, “Y-Yeah? I mean, it wasn’t for you…”

Lancelot giggles, and scoots a little closer to Percival, amused when the other man gets visibly more flustered by this. “Haha, you could afford to be a little more honest with yourself, Percival. I’m just lucky I got used to reading what you really mean.”

“You developed such a useless skill,” Percival rolls his eyes, averting his gaze slightly before looking back at Lancelot again. “I… Lancelot.”

“Hm?”

“It’s hard for me to be honest with my feelings about this,” Percival says slowly, “but I still…”

“You still like me?” Lancelot asks with a bit of an uncharacteristic gasp, the giddy feeling worming its way back into his chest again. He smiles, and bashfully scratches the back of his head. “I-I mean… if I’m not getting ahead of myself.”

“... yeah.” Percival says as a whisper, “I want to give us a try again. Not as a secret relationship, though. I don’t know, this is a bit embarrassing.”

“You’ve always still had that cute side huh, Percival?” Lancelot teases, standing up from his seat, and joining Percival on the couch. He adjusts himself in the seat, and glances at Percival curiously. “I’d like that. I’d be lying if I still didn’t think of you all the time back then.”

Percival relaxes, and tentatively places his hand over Lancelot’s. He smiles lightly, as if a burden had been lifted off of him. “Enough of that. I’ll treat you to dinner tonight, Lancelot.”

Lancelot starts watering at the mouth by just thinking about what kind of fancy restaurant that Percival will take him to, and nods enthusiastically. “What a gentleman you are, Percival!”

Percival snorts, and pulls in Lancelot for a kiss.  When they part, Percival blinks as another question comes to mind. “Wait, what happened to Galahad?”

Lancelot pauses, and smiles, “Galahad still hangs around sometimes. Let’s go look for him later, okay?” He squeezes their hands, and Percival answers in kind with another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!
> 
> for more percival and dragon knights crying, find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/howlofkarm).


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